Pieces of a Family Trip
by Creek-IB-08
Summary: This is the long awaited 10th installment in the "Pieces" series. In this story, Booth, Brennan, and Parker join Max, Russ, Amy, Haley, and Emma for a trip to King's Island to celebrate Haley's birthday. Take a look at Brennan's extended family.
1. Previously

**Pieces of a Family Trip**

**A Bones Fanfic**

**By Amanda**

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**Sequel to ****Falling to Pieces****, ****Picking up the Pieces****, **

**Putting the Pieces Back Together****, ****Bits and Pieces****, **

**Pieces of My Heart****, ****All the Little Pieces****,**

**The Date****, ****Pieces of a Case****, ****and ****Pieces of a Week**

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**Spoilers for all four seasons (I think), but most are vague. **

**No copyright infringement intended. I only own the story line.**

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Since it has been so long since I last posted this series, I'm starting out this one with a recap of the first nine stories in the series. If you have read them recently, or don't think you need a refreasher course, feel free to skip ahead to the new part (chapter 2)

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*~BONES~*

**Previously in the "Pieces" series** …

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… As she hit the delete button undoing the past five hours worth of writing, Dr. Temperance Brennan heard a noise coming from the bed of Seeley Booth. When she recognized distinguishable words fall from his lips she could barely control the overwhelming urge to yell out or cry or something. Instead, she walked as calmly as she could the four steps to his side and examined him. Needing to assure him, as much as herself, that he was ok she resorted to facts. "The surgery was successful. You had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. You have been in a coma for four days."

"Who are you?" he asked and her heart broke. He didn't remember her? How could he not remember her after everything they had been through together; with everything they meant to one another.

"You – you don't remember me?" she asked trying desperately to keep her voice from breaking. At the shake of his head, she put on the bravest face she could muster and even managed a small smile to try and reassure him. "That's ok. Don't worry about that right now. It is not uncommon to experience amnesia after brain surgery."

*~BONES~*

A short time later the doctor stepped out of the room closing the door behind him. "Dr. King, aside from the amnesia, how is he doing?"

Dr. King took a moment to study the woman in front of him for a moment before answering. She was definitely an amazing woman. She had spent the past four and a half days in the hospital and he knew from the nursing staff that she had hardly slept or eaten in that time, and yet she was still stunning. He thought her eyes looked a little puffy and red around the edges, but those were the only outward signs of her distress. Her voice, while soft, was steady as steel and she had her shoulders squared ready to accept and deal with the worst case scenario. "At the moment I can't tell you much. I do not believe that it will be permanent, but it is hard to say at this point. We will know more later in the week."

Sitting in his room later, an idea occurred to the scientist. "Booth, how old is your son?"

"Parker? He is turning … 3. Why?" Booth asked trying to figure out where she was going with this.

"Well, that settles it. You are missing the last 5 years."

"How do you know?"

"Because Parker is now 8 going on 9" was the definitive answer.

*~BONES~*

Poking her head in the room after Parker's departure and seeing the sad look on Booth's face, Brennan had an idea. "Hey Booth, I'm going to get us some pudding. Vanilla right? I'll be right back."

"Thanks Bones" he called after her.

"You're welcome" she said. She was half way down the hall before what he had called her registered. Turning on her heal and walking quickly back to the room she asked "What did you just call me?"

Shocked by her reaction Booth hesitantly answered, "Bones?"

"Did Parker tell you about that?" she demanded trying desperately not to get her hopes up only to have them crash down again.

"No. It just came out. I honestly don't know where it came from."

He watched as the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, or at least that he remembered, broke out across her face. Light seemed to shine from her eyes as she made her way to him and engulfed him in a hug. "Don't fight it, don't question it, just let it come back to you. You are going to be fine!" she declared.

"How do you know?"

"Because you called me Bones" she answered like it was the most blatantly obvious fact on the earth.

*~BONES~*

A short while later Booth requested that she tell him some more stories.

"Where should I start?" Bones asked. Four years was a lot of time to catch up on and so many things had happened in that time for the two of them. But resorting to logic and reason, she decided to start at the beginning of their partnership. For several hours they just sat in his room while she told him about the life he couldn't remember and she could never forget. It felt odd to talk about these things that he was so much a part of while he was unable to contribute anything.

He didn't mention the flashes he recalled, or possibly only constructed, as he heard the stories. He just absorbed them and relished in the small clips or still images that he was able to retrieve. Occasionally he would hear bits of conversations about victims and motives and weapons and bone structure and sports injuries. Usually these came with disjointed pictures of faces that he assumed went with the voice, but most of the time he couldn't place a name to the face. Eventually he decided that for the sake of his sanity, he needed to coordinate names with faces and he got an idea.

*~BONES~*

Bones was awoken when the doctor came in to examine Booth about an hour and a half after Booth had drifted off. She waited quietly as he assessed the printouts monitoring Booth's brain waves. When he had finished, she got up and followed him from the room so as not to bother the sleeping agent. "How does it look doctor?" she asked closing the door.

"So far everything seems to be on track. He's had some elevated brain waves for the past few hours. The kind of activity that the machines recorded are usually associated with memories and remembering" he informed her having come to realize that she wanted the scientific explanations behind his predictions and diagnosis.

"He didn't mention anything about remembering anything though."

"That is not uncommon for amnesia patients. They often don't recall what we would consider full memories. They tend to experience the memories in bits and pieces with large gaps in between. Sometimes the patient is not sure what is real or what their mind has made up to fill the gaps. From what I have heard about agent Booth from you and your friends, I would assume that he is preferring to err on the side of caution and not tell you about the things he remembers in case they are not true. It's as much to protect you from disappointment as himself."

"That does sound like something he would do. He is always trying to protect everybody" Brennan acknowledged nodding her head a couple of times. "How do I get him to tell me?" she asked already trying to form a plan of action in her mind.

*~BONES~*

Later that night Booth awoke to find Bones curled awkwardly in the same uncomfortable chair she had occupied for the past five days. He took a moment to reflect on the fact that she had not left his side any longer than absolutely necessary since this whole thing began. It was hard to imagine that kind of connection and loyalty, but he was grateful for it. She shifted trying in vain to get comfortable. He shifted to the farthest part of the bed before softly calling out to her. She stirred but didn't wake so he tried again. This time she opened her eyes a fraction before asking agitatedly "What Booth?"

"You looked uncomfortable in the chair. Why don't you come lay up here with me?" he offered.

"Booth I can't do that. The bed is hardly big enough for you, let alone the both of us" she protested practically, though the thought of a bed, even a shared one, was very appealing.

"Aw, come on Bones. I made room. And I won't sleep if you insist on staying in that chair" he protested with his special smile.

She was quiet for a while just looking at him, making a list of pros and cons in her head. Finally she made up her mind and rose from the chair. In a few short steps she slipped into the bed and under the sheets he was holding up. He dropped the sheets over her and laid his arm over her hip pulling her closer to a more comfortable position for both of them. Just before he drifted back to sleep he heard her whisper her thanks.

*~BONES~*

Booth awoke with the morning sun and after some time, he took stock of his surroundings and was mildly surprised to find the woman who occupied his thoughts also occupied his arms. Somehow it felt anything but wrong or unnatural to wake like this. In fact, as far as he knew, which granted still had a lot of holes, he had never been this content in his life. Realization came quickly, if unexpectedly, that he was in love with this woman who had been described as his partner and friend. He could feel it in his gut and could not for the life of him figure out why he had never acted on the feelings he was experiencing.

As he felt her stir and begin to wake, he made a decision. When he was out of the hospital and had regained at least most of his memory, he was going to sit her down and present two arguments for why they should be together. The first would appeal to the ultra rational and logical side that she prided herself on; the second to the emotional side she attempted to hide from the world.

The first conscious thought that passed through Brennan's mind was that she was more comfortable and better rested than she had been in days. The second was that she was laying in Booth's hospital bed wrapped securely in his arms. A smile came unbidden to her lips and she refused to dwell too long on why that was. Instead she turned in his embrace and searched out his warm chocolate brown eyes. When she found them not only open but watching her intently she whispered an almost shy, "Morning Booth."

*~BONES~*

The rest of the day passed by quickly with the squints visiting for about an hour and Brennan filling Booth in on more of their history. When night came Booth once again offered to share the bed with Bones when she started nodding off in the chair. Looking at his almost pleading face and remembering how well she had slept after moving to the bed the previous night she consented.

The next morning the two sat in bed talking about plans for the rest of the day until a nurse came into the room with Booth's discharge papers. Once they were signed, Bones handed him the bag she had packed the previous day and sent him into the bathroom to clean up some and change. Half an hour later they were situated in his SUV driving to his apartment.

When they arrived at the apartment building, Brennan retrieved both her and Booth's bags from the trunk and lead the way to his apartment. Reaching the door, she fished out her keys and quickly found the right one to work the lock. By the time Booth had taken off his coat, she had already made herself at home, having removed her jacket and shoes and put the bags down in his room for the time being. He marveled that he could possibly have forgotten her when she was so at home in his space and looked so right there.

Booth only had one spare room, Parker's, and the bed there was not really large enough for her to sleep on and he refused to allow her to sleep on the couch, so for the third night in a row the two partners shared a bed. Despite the obvious excess of room available in the king size bed over the hospital bed, the two slept right next to each other as they had the previous two nights. This night, however, their routine was changed when they shared a brief, tired kiss before drifting off to sleep.

*~BONES~*

When Booth awoke the next morning, he was momentarily disappointed to find the bed empty. The disappointment was short lived however, when the smell of coffee and bacon reached his nose. Now smiling, he got out of bed and walked out to the kitchen to find Bones standing at the stove,_ his_ stove, making bacon and eggs. Deciding to take a big chance, Booth stealthily made his way across the room and wrapped his arms around her waist.

At first Brennan stiffened, but as she realized who it was and remembered the kiss from the night before, she relaxed into his body and smiled back at him over her shoulder. "Good morning Booth. How are you feeling?"

"Right about now I feel great" he joked momentarily tightening his grip on her.

She laughed before pushing him away and instructing him to get them some plates. He reluctantly agreed and within five minutes the two were sitting at the table with breakfast and coffee.

Around 10:30 she pulled the SUV into Booth's regular spot outside the Jeffersonian and led the way to the Medico-Legal lab being careful to discretely keep an eye on her partner. As he walked through the automatic door for the lab, his mind was flooded with a swarm of memories spanning years and all jumbled together. He almost took a physical step back from the onslaught. Noticing this, Bones laid a gentle hand on his arm and led him quickly to her office before setting him down on her couch and closing the door. She silently sat next to him and waited for him to sort out what was going on in her mind.

Almost an hour later the partners were heading out of the building and to the diner for lunch. Booth had talked with Angela, Hodgins and Cam while Bones had examined whatever bone anomaly Clark had found and helped him explain the probable origins of them.

For the most part, the two ate silently. Occasionally she would snag a fry from his plate or he would sneak a crouton from her salad. They didn't need to talk. They were both content to dwell in their own thoughts secure in mere fact that the other was there. The familiarity of the silence was comforting to both after the events of the past week and they reveled in it. Eventually though, the food finished and the check came. The argument over who would pay was the first time in almost twenty minutes that either of them had spoken. It too was comfortable in its familiarity though, so neither minded dragging it out longer than absolutely necessary. It was moments like these that assured the two that everything was not lost or broken beyond repair. There was still a way to put the pieces back together and everything would be ok.

*~BONES~*

'Hiya Sweets. What's up?" Booth asked as he threw the door to the office open.

Sweets jumped a little at the entrance, but recovered well and motioned for the partners to take their usual seats as he moved around to his leather chair. "How are you feeling today Booth?"

"Just dandy thanks" was the smart reply.

"Booth, behave. He just wants to help" Brennan hissed from her place next to him.

Sweets watched on with amusement and awe as Booth turned to Brennan and the two held a silent conversation. Looking at them in this moment, one would never be able to tell that less than a week before, he had woken up and not had any idea who she was. It only proved to the young psychologist that the bond these two had was stronger than any he had ever seen. Even when common sense would suggest that the two should be uncomfortable or reserved with each other, something in their subconscious told them to trust and rely on the other. Finally Brennan seemed to win the silent debate and they once again returned their attention to the doctor before them.

"So, Bones says you think you know how to help me."

Sometime later Booth resurfaced from his thoughts just in time to hear Sweets and Bones making plans for the next session. "Don't I get a say?" he asked.

"No. Until the doctor clears you, you have very little say in anything because I will be driving you around" she told him matter of factly.

Resigning himself to that fact, Booth simply rolled his eyes and sat back again. Sometimes it felt like they were married, not just partners.

*~BONES~*

Back in his office Brennan heard a quiet "How on earth could I have ever forgotten _you_?"

She was taken aback. That was not what she had been expecting. Before she could formulate an answer though, he had crossed the small space between them and dropped a quick, gentle kiss to her lips. It happened so fast that she almost thought she had imagined it. Pulling back a little he said, "Come on Bones, let's go home." Placing a hand at the small of her back he led her through the building, neither commenting on the kiss or the reference to 'home'. Internally however, that's all either thought about.

They returned 'home' fifteen minutes after they had left the Hoover building and fell into a routine that had been set in the short time they had stayed together since he was released from the hospital. He went to relax in the living room, as per her orders, while she went to the kitchen to find something to eat. The domesticated routine did not go unnoticed by either partner, but like the kiss earlier neither commented on it.

Deciding to simply order in Brennan asked Booth where he would like to order from. There was no need to ask what he wanted, if anything they were creatures of habit. On the paper menu notes had been written in the margins noting the dishes that Booth, Parker, and Brennan liked. She noted that all of the menus had similar makings. Seeing her name in the midst of his and his son's caused the same warm feeling she had felt at the mention of 'home' to flow through her. Laughing at her insanity, she picked up the phone and quickly placed their order before returning to the couch.

"I think we should probably talk about it Bones." Booth said suddenly.

"It is ok if you regret it" she quickly interrupted. "I know that you are overwhelmed and confused right now and I don't blame you. I am sure that it is natural to …" she trailed off looking at her lap, hoping that he wasn't going to say it was all a mistake, but afraid he was.

"Oh Bones" he whispered pulling her into a strong embrace. "Of course I don't regret it and it has absolutely nothing to do with me being confused."

Bones smiled into his neck feeling twenty pounds lighter. She hadn't even realized that her heart had literally been weighed down with her uncertainty and fear. It wasn't a declaration of eternal love, it wasn't a promise that everything would be perfect, but for now it was enough. "Good" was the only thing she could think to say.

*~BONES~*

Waking up the next morning, Brennan couldn't stop her mind from working. Even now she wasn't entirely sure what it was that had prompted him to kiss her. She was still not entirely sure that he would not decide to take it back once he regained all of his memories. Maybe at the moment he didn't remember about the line and why _he_ felt it was so important. Maybe he didn't remember all of the differences and difficulties between them.

Those thoughts firmly in mind she made a decision. When he woke up, they would have a serious talk about the kiss and what it meant. When they had tried that last night they hadn't gotten any farther than him saying he didn't regret it. Still, not regretting something and wanting to continue something were not necessarily the same thing. Before she got too carried away in the things she was feeling, she had to tell him about everything. She had make sure that he knew all about the line and the differences. He had to know what he was getting into. If this was going to work, he had to know everything about both of them and their lives. Bones shivered involuntarily before pulling away from Booth's warm body to make some coffee. She was sure they would both need it this morning. Besides, she needed to get some distance from him so she could organize her thoughts. As much as she didn't want to, she would have to tell him every reason they should not be together and every reason that they weren't already and every reason that they wouldn't work. Then she would have to sit back and hope that he recognized what she was doing and that she wanted this more than anything.

"We need to talk and I need you to listen to me, not just argue. This is important" was the first thing he heard that morning as he poured his coffee.

"Ok" Booth replied hesitantly, "What do we need to talk about?"

"Us" was the simple answer. Booth blanched a little at the detached tone she used and the suddenness of the conversation. So far they had shared only one kiss and she already wanted to have _the conversation_. Then again, this was Bones and he was sure that she had never done anything in the normal way in her life.

"What about us Bones?" he asked cautiously.

Finally she looked up and Booth could see the myriad of emotions swirling in their blue depths. So despite the early hour and his reluctance, Booth decided that he would take this conversation as seriously as she seemed to want to make it.

"There are some … some things that you need to know before we start anything. I don't know what all you remember right now, but there are some things you _have to_ know before you decide if you want to have a relationship with me or just leave it as it is." Brennan's blue eyes bored into his brown ones trying to convey the truth she knew was inherent in that simple declaration.

"Ok, why don't you tell me then?"

Brennan took a deep breath and looked needlessly down at the pad of paper. She had memorized the list at least an hour ago, but it gave her something to focus on other than him. She figured she'd start with the simplest point first. "To start with, you told me that there is a line that some people can't cross. A line that coworkers shouldn't cross. I don't really know all of your reasonings, but you were very adamant about the -" she stopped abruptly when she noticed him trying to hide a smile behind his coffee cup. "Is this funny to you?" she demanded.

"No Bones, I promise you it's not funny. I was just thinking that I have regretted saying anything about that damn line since it came out of my mouth. That was just a reaction I had to what happened to Cam. I thought that it would have been easier to deal with her being hurt if we had never dated. I was afraid that if something happened to you I wouldn't be able to handle it." After a beat of two of silence he continued, "So … we work together."

"Yes we work together. Do you really think we would be able to keep our personal and professional lives separate? Because we would have to, to a certain extent. And what if us having a romantic relationship meant we couldn't be partners Booth? What we do, solving murders, it's important. And you once told me that if you take one of us, any of us away, …" she trailed off not wanting to get sidetracked with memories of the Gravedigger.

"You and Hodgins are in that hole forever," Booth whispered. The memories were still painful for him and he tried not to think about any of the times Bones' life had been in danger because of her, _their_, job.

Brennan's head shot up as he finished her thought. Apparently more of his memory was back than she knew. If he remembered that conversation, she dreaded to know what else had surfaced. In a way she had hoped that some of the horrible things they had been through never had to be remembered. She was curious as to what else he remembered, but now was not the time. "Exactly. We are the center Booth, 'and the center must hold'. Is it really worth it to risk that for a romantic relationship?" she asked herself as much as Booth. She continued on, however not giving him time to respond. "And if we were to start dating, what would happen in the field the next time someone has a gun? It would be too dangerous for either of us to be distracted by our concern for each other in the field. If we lose focus, one of us could die."

This time he took a moment to gather his thoughts and prepare a rational argument to plead his case. He only had one chance of convincing her, and he had to make it count. "Bones, you can't honestly tell me that you don't have feelings for me and I can't say I don't care about you. I have for a long time now. And we have been in too many situations where one or both of us could have been hurt or killed." Here he paused gauging her reaction. Seeing that she was at the very least accepting the logic behind what he had already said, he continued. "If the feelings I have for you were going to compromise us in the field, they would have already. And I think that the way we feel about each other makes us a better, stronger, more dedicated team. All of us, even the squints. We're a family Bones and we look out for each other. If we didn't love each other the way we do, we would have given up on finding you and Hodgins, or not found you when Kenton took you. Or you all wouldn't have found me on the ship. We are better because we care about each other."

Bones was shocked. She had never really thought about it like that, but he made a good point. The feelings they all had for each member of the team is what kept them all together and made them so good. If it wasn't for that connection, she, Hodgins, and Booth would probably be dead, Angela would have left a long time ago, and Zach, well Zach probably wouldn't have gotten the chances he did. Wiping a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye thinking about what might have been, Bones sighed. "Fine" she conceded, "but what if we break up? What happens to us and the team then?" she countered.

"There's an easy solution to that problem" he answered. At her curious gaze he continued, "We just never break up."

"Booth, it is impossible to say that nothing will ever happen to us that will break us apart. It is completely illogical to expect to live happily ever after."

"Who said anything about 'happily'?" he inserted, but she continued on as if she hadn't heard.

"But I have never had a really committed relationship. I don't know if I can" she continued secretly overjoyed that he seemed to remember enough about the two of them to effectively overrule all of the problems she could come up with.

"So you have commitment issues? We have been together for four years now and you haven't felt the need to run yet. And I haven't left yet. I'm not going to. You can't get rid of me."

For a long moment, they simply stared at each other from across the table in utter silence. She was waiting for any flicker of doubt to cross his face or another reason this couldn't work to occur to her. He was waiting for her to see the truth behind what he had just said. He would never leave her as long as he had any say in it. It was still too early to say 'I love you' but he hoped that he had managed to convince her to give them a chance.

Finally a brilliant smile broke out across her face and he was reminded of the picture in her parent's file. She looked unbelievably happy, and this time he was the reason. The next thing he knew, she was next to him with her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips not quite touching his. "You can't get rid of me either" she whispered just before she brought her lips to his for a _real_ kiss.

*~BONES~*

"Listen, the reason I called was to tell you that Haley decided she doesn't want a party this year."

"She doesn't want a party?" Brennan asked a little disappointed.

"No, she wants to go to this theme park instead. Amy, the girls, and I would love it if you came though. You could even bring Booth and his son. Dad already said he'd come. I figured we could make it like a family thing. What do you say?"

"I would like to go Russ, but I need to know when first" she laughed.

"Right, we're going on the Saturday after next."

"Well, I will be there but I don't know about Booth and Parker, I'd have to ask and see if Rebecca will let Booth have Parker for the day."

"What about me and Parker Bones?" Booth asked as he walked into the room.

"Hold on a minute Russ" she said into the phone before holding it away from her to talk to Booth. "Russ has invited us all to go to an amusement park with them for Haley's birthday in a couple of weeks."

"Does he know already?" Booth asked a little surprised.

"Know about what?" Bones asked back trying to figure her partner out.

"You know about" he gestured between the two of them to get his point across.

"Oh! No, I haven't said anything yet. Why? Should I not tell anyone?"

"Bones can we have this conversation later? Maybe when your brother's not waiting on the other end of the phone?"

Brennan looked to the phone in her hand almost as if she had forgotten it was there. "Right, so do you want to come with us or not?" she asked to get back on topic.

"I would love to. I'm not so sure about Parker though. I mean he would probably love to go, but it depends on whether Rebecca will let me take him."

"Russ" Brennan said returning her attention to the phone, "Booth and I will come but we'll have to get back to you about Parker." After she hung up she turned once more to Booth. "So am I not supposed to tell anyone that we are dating?"

"I don't know. Do we really want to actually tell everyone or just let them figure it out for themselves? We can keep it a secret for a while. You know if we tell everyone, especially Angela, no one will leave us alone about it. Or we could just say to heck with it and make an announcement."

"I think," she started, "we should wait for a little while and see how it goes. Angela wants to do some kind of welcome home dinner party thing for you and we can tell them then if they haven't already figured it out" she suggested.

"That sounds perfect" he agreed punctuating the point with a kiss.

*~BONES~*

At the lab later that day, he was broken out of his thoughts by a voice off to his left. "Booth, sweetie, when would be a good time to throw you a surprise party?" Angela asked.

"You are asking _me_ when a good time to throw _me_ a surprise party? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose? It can't be a_ surprise_ party if I _know_ about it."

"Fine" Angela laughed, "so it won't be a surprise party. When would be a good time for your _non-surprise_ party then?"

"This weekend. That way when you get hammered you don't have to worry about work the next morning."

"I resent that remark. I would never" at a disbelieving look from him she adjusted her statement, "ok, I would, but I have no intention of getting wasted. The weekend is great though. That gives me four days to plan!"

"Ang, there is no need to plan anything. We can all just meet up at the diner or the Founding Fathers bar."

She gave him a look that clearly told him she thought he was crazy, but didn't say anything about it. "So how's the memory coming along?" she asked instead.

"Yeah Seeley, is it getting any better?" Cam added as she drew close enough to join in.

"As a matter of fact it is. It's a slow process, but all the little pieces are starting to fall into place. It's just a matter of time" Booth answered honestly.

"So are you two like dating now?" Angela asked Bren a while later while bouncing on the balls of her feet, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Yes we are and you can go tell the rumor and collect on the bets if you want" sounded from the corner of the room. Both women turned surprised to hear him answer since they thought he was still asleep.

"Booth! How long have you been awake?" Brennan exclaimed.

"Long enough, Bones. You look happy Angela" he commented.

"Oh Sweeties, you have no idea how long I have waited for this! You just made my week!" she exclaimed hugging Brennan tightly. "No, my year!" she amended rushing over to hug the now standing Booth.

They both simply laughed as she practically ran out of the room with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. As Bones started gathering her things to leave, they could hear "Hodgins, you'll never guess what Bren and Booth just told me!" resounding down the hall.

"So much for waiting to see how things work themselves out" Brennan said with a resigned sigh.

*~BONES~*

"Hey, we haven't had a proper dinner date yet. How about you go home and put on a nice dress and we go out?" Booth suggested later that night when they were alone in his apartment.

"That sounds like a very good idea. See you in about an hour and a half?"

"It's a date" he deadpanned before walking her to the door and kissing her goodbye.

"It's just dinner!" Brennan chastised herself as she stood wrapped in her robe in front of her closet. "With Booth as your first real date" a voice in the back of her head taunted. She had never worried this much about what she would wear for _anything_, let alone a simple dinner date.

Then again, there was nothing simple about this date. This was, _hopefully_, her last first date. This thought stopped her dead in her tracks. Did she really want to spend the rest of her life with him? Booth drove her crazy, they argued constantly, he insisted on displaying alpha male tendencies, he was always butting into her personal life. He could almost always make her laugh, he understood her and her issues, he accepted her as she was, he was patient when she didn't understand, simply hearing his voice sent shivers of joy through her. If she were honest with herself, which she tried always to be (except when it came to her feelings for Booth), he was her … something. 'Soul mate' was too cheesy and unscientific, 'meant to be' was too much like believing in fate, 'other half' made her sound dependant on him, 'perfect fit' was closer.

The more she thought about it, only one word seemed right for what they were 'partners'. She knew that they had always told everyone that they were "just partners" but that's what they were in the most all-encompassing sense of the word, in and out of work. They worked together as equals and always took the other's opinions and ideas into account regardless how different they were from their own. She laughed aloud as she realized that neither had ever lied to anyone about their relationship. They were and always had been 'partners'. Until now they had simply ignored the non-professional aspects of that partnership.

Across town, Booth was showered and cleanly shaven looking through his closet for the perfect suit. After tossing aside the fourth shirt in a row he burst out laughing. "Oh my God! I'm turning into a girl!" he exclaimed to the empty room. He was an attractive man and had never had trouble impressing women. He had never been one to really think about what he was going to wear. At work he wore a black suit and white shirt with the first fun tie he came across. When he dressed casually he had a good array of nicely fitting tees and jeans. For dates anything in his closet would suffice, _usually_. But here he was standing in front of his closet with his nicest suit trying to find the perfect suit, shirt, tie combo.

Before long he emerged from the room with his hair gelled meticulously, and his suit jacket hanging from his hand. Checking the time again and seeing that he had plenty of time, he pocketed his keys, wallet, and phone and left in search of the nearest flower shop.

Reaching the shop, Booth began searching it for the perfect flowers to get her. Normally roses were the flower of choice for someone you liked enough to be willing pay the higher price, and although he was more than willing to pay it, Temperance Brennan was not a normal girl. So he moved on. Finally in the back corner of the shop he saw a group of daffodils. A faint memory tugged at his conscious, something to do with daisies and Jupiter. "Perfect" he muttered as he made his way to them. Although the memory was faint, the implication was clear enough, Bones loved daffodils. Smiling, he picked out a dozen and moved off to pay for them. His purchase secured in a bag, he began the walk back to his apartment to await Bones' arrival.

*~BONES~*

Suddenly he was startled by a knock at the door. Walking quickly over, he took a deep calming breath and wiped his hands down his pant legs. Taking one more deep breath, he opened the door with his classic charm smile in place. When he saw her, however, the smile that replaced it was one of genuine surprise and delight. She was always beautiful, even when she was knee deep in mud and remains, but now she was absolutely gorgeous. He stood in the doorway speechless and unable to move.

As the door opened, Brennan looked up to meet Booth's eyes. He looked exceptionally good in that suit and the shirt made his eyes sparkle, or maybe it was just her. After a couple beats of silence in which he was practically frozen she couldn't help but laugh. "Booth? Are you alright?" she asked through her laughter. When he didn't answer, she got an idea. Shifting closer to him, she leaned up on her tip-toes, braced her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him soundly.

Booth was shocked out of his stupor when Brennan suddenly kissed him. He quickly regained his senses and joined in the kiss. Pulling away a long moment later a smile once again graced his attractive face. "Well, if that's the response I get for being speechless, I oughta do it more often" he quipped stepping aside to allow her into the room.

… "Booth, what are you –" but she cut off when he turned around holding a beautiful bouquet of daffodils. "My favorite" she said breathlessly.

"I know" was the simple reply.

"But how did you –"

"I walked to the flower shop a couple of blocks up. And when I saw them I just knew. By the way, is 'Jupiter' still your password?"

*~BONES~*

The car was quiet as she ignored the smug tone of his last comment and focused on parking. When she turned her attention to the building across the parking lot her breath caught in her throat. The place was small but beautiful. The building itself was white with large bay windows. The view through the sheer curtains was of pure elegance. Most of the tables that she could see were only large enough for two. Each was laid with elegant tablecloths and lit with candles whose light shimmered off the crystal and silver and china that lay on the tables. Around the building was a beautiful garden that shone in the night with twinkle lights strewn among the shrubs and trees. The entire place had an air of slightly understated elegance. There was nothing flashy or gaudy to attract attention. No gold ornamentation or rich colors meant to establish an atmosphere of luxury.

By the time that she regained her faculties, Booth had already come around and opened her door. He simply stood and watched the astonishment wash across her face with a blinding smile on his own. He was glad that he had remembered his old army buddy in all his excitement. Simply the look on her face made it worth it.

Turning to face the man standing patiently beside her she struggled to find words for the various thoughts rushing through her head. Finally she settled on "Booth, how did you ever find this place?"

"The owner is an old friend of mine. Now are you coming or are you going to sit out here all night?" he asked, the humor back in its rich tones.

In answer she stepped from the vehicle and took his offered arm as she locked the doors.

As the meal progressed conversation once again flowed easily and while they talked about the squints they managed to keep the topic of work itself at bay. Brennan filled in the gaps in his memory about what had happened between Angela and Hodgins as best she could. She informed him of the major changes in Cam's life recently, namely the fact that she had taken in Michelle. She also filled in the details about Zach's incarceration and the interns that were on rotation until she could pick one to replace him. In addition she confessed that she wasn't sure she wanted to pick one. The way things were now, she couldn't get too attached to any of them like she had with Zach. He tried to point out that getting close and building a relationship with her interns wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but she was still more than a little dubious after losing Zach. Besides, this way they all got the experience working for law enforcement and with her she reasoned.

Before they knew it, they had finished the main course and a waiter had taken their dessert order. Glancing around, a smile lit Booth's face as an idea suddenly claimed him. Standing, he quickly made his way around the table and held his hand out to his dining companion. "Would you like to dance Ms. Brennan?" he asked with false pompousness.

"Why I would love to Mr. Booth" she played along giving him a coy smile and extending her hand to his.

With that, Booth led Bones out onto the small, un-crowded dance floor. As they reached the floor a new song started. Booth took Bones into his arms and they began to slowly sway to the music.

*~BONES~*

The drive back to his apartment was uneventful and quiet since Bones had fallen asleep practically before he had shut her door. Looking over at his sleeping girlfriend Booth smiled he couldn't believe how lucky he was. It had been far simpler to convince Bones to give him a chance than he had anticipated and so far, everything was going great. Granted they had just started dating, but it felt like they had been together forever and they already knew the kind of things from each other's past that would usually scare someone off. They worked together, so they already understood the pressure and precedence that sometimes came with the job. They were aware of their differing viewpoints and had worked through them, to an extent (usually by agreeing to disagree). He knew about her past in the foster system and her parents' and brother's criminal pasts. She knew about his difficult childhood, some of the horrors of when he was a Ranger, and his gambling problem. She knew and loved his kid and Parker loved her. They had already been through so much, both personally and professionally, that he was confident they could get through anything.

*~BONES~*

Booth woke up the next morning to the shrill ring of a phone. Blindly groping at the bedside table, he found the offending object and answered "Booth."

On the other side of town, Perotta looked at her phone questioningly. She had been sure she had dialed Dr. Brennan's number. "Um, I'm sorry, I thought I called Dr. Brennan's cell" she stammered.

Hearing this, Booth finally opened his eyes and blearily looked at the phone in his hand. It was in fact Bones'. "You did. Just a minute" he said into the phone before turning to the woman sleeping next to him. "Bones, phone's for you." Her only acknowledgement was to wave a hand at him in annoyance. "Bones, I think it's important."

"Fine, who is it?" she asked turning over and yawning widely. In response he simply handed her the phone. His memory still wasn't up to par and although the voice was familiar, he couldn't place it half asleep. Taking the phone, Brennan blinked rapidly several times trying to wake herself. "Brennan" she said into the phone.

"Sorry to wake you Dr. Brennan, but some remains were found in a construction site and we need you to help make an ID" Perotta relayed a little uncomfortable with the situation. So they were _sleeping_ together now? There went any _prayer_ of a chance she _thought_ she _might_ have had at getting Booth. And this was not really the way she would have preferred to learn that particular piece of information.

"What's the address Agent Perotta? I'll be there as soon as possible." After receiving the address, Bones hung up and sighed. She really didn't feel like working right now, and especially without Booth. When she tried to get out of the bed, she found that a strong arm was keeping her from doing so. "Booth, you have to let go. I have to go to work."

"Fine!" he announced releasing his grip. "Call me later?"

*~BONES~*

Ang's demeanor changed abruptly and a brilliant smile replaced the small frown of moments before. "So spill!" she exclaimed.

"Spill what?" Bren asked deciding to play dumb.

"Don't pull that with me, you know exactly what I'm talking about! You have to tell me all about last night."

"What happened last night?" Cam asked poking her head into the room.

When Bren didn't answer right away, Angela blurted out, "Bren and Booth went on a _real_ date! Isn't that great! I mean it only took them four years and …" she trailed off doing a quick mental count. 'Senator's aid, 'valley fever Christmas', Mala Muerte gang shooting, Kenton shooting at Bren and bombing Booth and kidnapping Bren, New Orleans voodoo, Sweet Pete in Vegas, Bren and Hodgins buried by Gravedigger, Howard Epps, Booth being kidnapped and tortured, the psychotic paramedic, taxi explosion, Pam, the Gravedigger _again_, the black knight, resonance chamber, Booth's tumor and coma and amnesia' "no less than _20_ near death experiences. Wow, you guys _really_ need to be more careful" she scolded Brennan.

"So you went on a date, huh? Where to?" Cam asked managing to hide the small twinge of jealousy from her voice.

Brennan blushed slightly at all of the attention, but decided that answering would be the quickest way to get this over with. "We went to this really nice restaurant owned by his friend Marcos. We ate, we talked, we danced, we went home, end of story" she said decisively.

"Awww. You danced? Was it a slow dance? Where did you dance? Is he any good? And how was the food?" gushed Ang.

"Yes, yes, at the restaurant, yes but I already knew that from Aurora, and fantastic" was the concise response.

"Come on Bren, you have to give us more than that! I want all the juicy details!"

*~BONES~*

As Bones walked into her office, Booth put his phone on speaker. She wanted to be annoyed at Booth for the distraction of Parker's stories, after all she had work to do and listening to Parker was not making it easy. Then again, she loved Parker and the stories really were funny, and it was really touching that Booth wanted to include her in the conversation with his son, it was almost like she had a real family again. Not that Russ, Amy, and the girls weren't family because she really did love them all; and she had been steadily rebuilding her relationship with her father, but it wasn't the same as it had been once. It felt good to be included in Booth's family. She was broken from her reverie by the resounding tones of Booth's laugh.

When he had composed himself and assured his son that he was not in fact making fun of him, he broached the subject that had prompted this conversation in the first place. "Hey Bub, your mom told you that we are switching weekends right?"

"Yeah, she said I have to stay here this weekend" Parker affirmed slightly downtrodden.

"Did she tell you why?" Booth ventured.

"Nope."

"Parker, how would you like to go on a trip with your dad, me, and my family?" Bones asked.

"Dr. Bones! I didn't know you were there! Where would we go?" Parker asked, suddenly much happier.

"Well, my niece's birthday is next week, and she invited all three of us to go with her family to Kings Island to celebrate."

"Kings Island! That is so cool! When?" the little boy cheered.

"Next weekend, Bub. I'm gonna pick you up Friday and we'll all drive up there, then we're going to the park Saturday. So what do you say? Are you gonna come?" Booth asked with a wink and his charm smile in Bones' direction.

"Yeah!" Parker said enthusiastically.

*~BONES~*

The rest of the week passed quickly and routinely. Booth spent his mornings at the lab with Bones and the Squint Squad, ate lunch (usually at the diner) with Bones, and then had a session with Sweets before heading home for the day with some kind of assignment from Sweets meant to stimulate memories. Bones would get home about 7 and they would make dinner together and talk, watch some TV, and go to bed.

By the time Friday rolled around, there were multiple reasons for celebration. It had been a difficult case to solve, but they had eventually managed to isolate the weapon and find the murderer. The tension between Perotta and Brennan was still palpable, but it was lessening as the blonde woman came to terms with the new development in Booth and Brennan's relationship

When Brennan returned to what she was fast beginning to think of as home (Booth's apartment), she was surprised not to find Booth right away. Venturing back into the bedroom, she found him just finishing buttoning his royal blue shirt. "Honey, I'm home" she called from the doorway teasingly.

"I can see that" he responded walking towards her. After a brief kiss, he started steering her towards the bathroom. "Now hurry up and get in the shower. How would it look for the guest of honor to be late to his own party?"

"Booth, stop pushing! I am perfectly capable of finding my own way to the bathroom" she complained swatting at his hands. As she dressed, she contemplated how different this relationship was from any she had ever had before. She and Booth had been dating for two weeks and had been sleeping together a little longer than that, but so far they hadn't had sex and neither seemed to be in a big hurry to get there. The relationship was not without passion, but it was about so much more than that. If she really took the time to think about why they hadn't crossed that line yet, she could only conclude that it was because every relationship that either had ever been in had been mostly about the physical. She knew for a fact that that was what her relationships had been about. She had never really allowed herself to get too emotionally attached before to keep herself from getting hurt. This time, she wanted the emotional attachment. This time she was willing to risk feeling the pain she had felt at fifteen all over again. Booth had said that they would just never break up, that they could spend the rest of their lives together, and he had sounded so sure. He had made it sound reasonable and effortless – no, not effortless (neither was naive enough to believe there would be no problems) – not effortless but _obvious_ and she trusted him implicitly.

"I got you a present. Don't look so surprised" he mock scolded as he led her to the nearest mirror so she could see the necklace he bought for herself.

She had to admit that Booth had excellent taste when it came to jewelry. The necklace he had picked was beautiful in its simplicity. Hanging from a delicate gold chain was an oval locket with a dolphin carved into the front. "Booth, it's _beautiful_" she breathed.

"Open it" he whispered back in her ear.

When she did so, tears sprung to her eyes and her breath caught in her throat. It was perfect! "My family" she whispered as a smile made its way across her face and a wayward tear fell. She wiped at it embarrassedly. On the one side of her new locket was a picture from many, many years ago that featured her parents, Russ, and herself at a park all smiling brilliantly. On the other side was a picture of Booth, Parker, and herself taken about six months before at the lab. Turning from the mirror, she hugged Booth fiercely before letting go suddenly. "We have a party to get to" she announced as she made her way to the door.

What seemed like minutes later, but was actually over three hours and several drinks later, Sweets said his goodbyes and made his way home to Daisy. Cam was the next to go, stating that it was already midnight and she needed to "get home and check on Michelle." The two couples remained for about an hour longer before Brennan complained about practically falling asleep on her feet and Booth was having difficulties hiding his yawns. "Ang, we're gonna go" Brennan informed her friend through a yawn of her own.

"But, it's still early Bren and its Booth's party" she complained.

"Sorry Ang, but we really need to go, besides, I think the party's been over for a while now."

"Fine, be an old married couple!" Ang complained. "Hodgins will stay and dance with me."

Laughing, Booth led Brennan towards the door. He had heard Angela's comment about them being like a married couple and his heart had leapt into his throat. It was no secret that he was in love with her and he was long past lying to himself about wanting to spend the rest of his life with the woman he was currently steering through the dwindling crowd. Her silence in the face of their friend's joke bothered him a little though. He was just starting to get seriously worried when she smiled slightly and took hold of the locket he had given her. He still didn't know what she was thinking, or if she would ever consent to marry him, but he did know one thing with absolute certainty. Bones was his family now, she had been for a long time and she always would be, married or not.

Brennan, meanwhile, was having a minor mental breakdown. When Ang had referred to her and Booth as a 'married couple', she had actually felt butterflies in her stomach. The fact that the thought of it didn't scare her scared her. She was Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist, novelist, foster kid, commitment-phobic. The thought of being married to anyone should have made her start running for the nearest door. But instead of running away, she felt herself leaning, quite literally at the moment, towards that possibility with Booth. Without even thinking about it, she reached up a hand to hold her new locket as a sweet smile lit upon her lips. She didn't know when or how or why, but somewhere along the way, even before the most recent change in their relationship, Booth had become her family.

*~BONES~*

When she woke, she was once again wrapped in Booth's arms. She was an independent woman and didn't need a man close by for her to feel secure and safe. Then again, as she had realized the previous night, nothing about her relationship with Booth could be categorized as 'normal'. Whatever the reason, when she was with him, she could do the typical girly things and be a … softer version of herself without feeling at a loss. He never made her feel less competent or strong or independent even when he was being the alpha male and taking charge of the situation.

Opening his eyes, Booth took in the sight before him – Brennan lounging in _his _bed, wearing _his_ shirt, completely absorbed in her writing – he could definitely get used to this. He noticed that her forehead creased as she hit a mental wall with the writing and her hands stopped their steady flow over the keyboard. Without removing her eyes from the screen, she reached for her coffee as she read over what she had written trying to find a new route, a way to fix it. As she moved to replace the cup on the nightstand, he reached out and took hold of the cup, removing it from her hand and bringing it to his lips.

"I'll see you in half an hour Ang. Are we meeting somewhere or are you picking me up?" Booth heard from his place on the couch.

"I'll come get you. Besides, it'll give me a chance to see your little love nest" Angela teased before hanging up.

Half an hour later, precisely, there was an excited wrap on the door of Booth's apartment. Moments later, Brennan answered the door and Booth could hear her trying to hurry their friend out. Angela's voice drifted through to him. "Booth, you have a nice place. It's a lot 'homier' than I pictured."

"Uhuh, and how exactly did you picture my apartment?"

"More 'bachelor pad' less 'Mr. Mom'" she said with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders.

Booth and Brennan could only laugh at how ridiculous Angela could be some times. "So, now that you've analyzed Booth's apartment, are you ready to go? I thought you wanted to shop" Brennan spoke out to try and get back on track.

"Just a minute. I still need to look around a little closer" Angela complained.

Deciding that the quickest way to get Angela going would be to control her explorations, Brennan offered a tour. "There's really not much to see. You saw the entry hall and living room. Then there's the kitchen, Parker's room, the bathroom, and Booth's room" she explained as she ushered the curly headed artist passed the rooms allowing her to briefly poke her head in each.

The urgency with which Bren was trying to get her out of the apartment piqued her interest, especially since Booth didn't seem to particularly mind. She knew the rush was not inspired by Bren's desire to get to the mall. Regardless, Angela played along with Brennan's rush and only briefly looked into the rooms as they passed by. With her artist's eye for details, however, she was still able to catch several things to store for later contemplation. The entire place was tidy – not something she would expect of a man's place – but despite her earlier teasing, she could tell that Booth had been responsible for the decoration. She was also able to pick up several small signs that Bren was already making herself at home here. Her keys lay on the entrance table next to Booths, her favorite coffee mug had found a place on the kitchen counter, the jacket she had worn to work Friday was hanging from one of the kitchen chairs, her toiletries were not in the guest bathroom – implying that they resided in the en suite with Booth's – and the brief glimpse she had gotten of his room revealed some of her clothes in the closet, a shared bed, her computer resting on a bedside table, and their dirty clothes intermingled in the hamper. She hadn't realized how spot on her teasing jab at the bar had been until now, and she marveled at how comfortable both of them seemed with this new situation. Generally speaking, Bren was not the type to give up her space, yet she had for all intents and purposes moved in with Booth. Heck he was even letting her drive his precious car.

*~BONES~*

"Sorry Sweetie, but you know that I have to live vicariously through you. So have you?" Angela asked unfazed.

"No" Bren said quietly, almost embarrassed – not that it was anything to be embarrassed about. "No, we haven't had sex yet."

"What? Why?" Angela asked shocked. "You have been sharing a bed since –"

"How did you –"

"I saw the bed Sweetie. It's kind of obvious. But back to the point. You have been sharing a bed for what? Two weeks? And you have been dating at least that long. So why haven't you? You usually don't wait longer than a week to have sex with a guy. So why are you waiting with Booth?"

"Like I said, it's different with Booth. Every relationship I have ever had has been based primarily on sex. Not that that's a bad thing. But with Booth … I don't know Ang. I don't think I could stand it if it didn't work out, so we are taking our time. Does that make any sense?"

*~BONES~*

"Yes. Dr. King said that I was fit to return to duty. My memory is almost back to what it was before the surgery, and all of the damage to my memory is retroactive. He doesn't see any reason why it should affect my work. Physically I'm fine."

Cullen could see that Dr. Brennan wanted to contribute, probably by filling in all the boring scientific details, but she held her tongue after sharing a look with Booth. He never would have thought that Brennan could be controlled or reined in by anyone, especially after that second case – the first she worked out in the field. Now, at least, Booth was able to keep her from making the type of mistakes she had then.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. You are back to work then. That'll be all," he dismissed. The partners rose from their seats and walked to the door, Booth's hand in its customary place at her back. "And please don't go getting shot or anything anytime soon" Cullen called after them as they reached the door.

Booth was sitting at his desk immersed in his own paperwork a short time later when there was a knock on the door. "Can I come in Seeley?"

"Sure Cam, what's up?" Cam took a seat across form Booth but didn't say anything, she couldn't even really look him in the eye. "Come on, Camile, you can talk to me. What's wrong?"

"This thing with Brennan, are you sure?"

"Where is this coming from Cam?" he asked hesitantly, just bordering on defensive.

"It's just that … you've been under a lot of _stress_ lately and I know that she was there for you while you were still lost trying to remember … and are you _sure_?" she asked again. "It's not just some kind of post traumatic thing is it?" she asked, and he could almost hear a hint of hope in her voice. "I mean … just over two _weeks_ ago she was asking you to father her child and have _nothing_ to do with it, and now … well, now it's like you skipped the whole early dating step and jumped straight to _living together_ and taking _family_ vacations."

Booth was stunned for a minute, still trying to figure out where Cam was coming from. Shaking his head, he decided it didn't really matter why she was questioning him, the answer was the same regardless. "Yes Cam I _am_ sure about this. I love her and it's _not_ just a reaction to the amnesia or tumor or anything else. I've been in love with her for a long time now, and was just too … scared of scaring her off to do anything about it. It's the real thing Camille" he said solemnly.

*~BONES~*

Friday afternoon Cam cleared her throat from the door. "So, Dr. Brennan, I assume you are getting ready to leave?"

"Yes, we should get going. It's a long drive" she responded slightly embarrassed to be caught kissing Booth by her boss and his former lover. Yes, she thought, some aspects about their relationship were going to take a while to iron out. At the moment, things like this were still just a little awkward. "If you need me, I'm taking my phone and laptop with me."

"Go and have fun, don't worry about work for once" Cam admonished walking away from the couple.

*~BONES~*

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading, please continue to the second chapter to read the newest installment of this story.**


	2. The Family Trip

**Pieces of a Family Trip**

**A Bones Fanfic**

**By Amanda**

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**Sequel to ****Falling to Pieces****, ****Picking up the Pieces****, **

**Putting the Pieces Back Together****, ****Bits and Pieces****, **

**Pieces of My Heart****, ****All the Little Pieces****,**

**The Date****, ****Pieces of a Case****, ****and ****Pieces of a Week**

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**Spoilers for all four seasons (I think), but most are vague. **

**No copyright infringement intended. I only own the story line.***~BONES~*

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Even with the early start and the fast food dinner, it was still 10:30 before the SUV pulled up outside the hotel. Bones had fallen asleep about fifteen minutes before, despite her great efforts not to, and Parker had been sleeping for at least the past hour. Parking in an open spot near the door, Booth quietly left his sleeping family in the car to go check in and get the room keys.

"Bones, time to get up" Booth whispered ten minutes later.

"We there?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah, I already checked us in. Parker's out like a light. Do you want to carry him or the bags?"

She considered it for a moment before finally deciding that the bags would be lighter and that being half asleep as she was, she was liable to hurt Parker or herself. "I'll get the bags" she informed him. "What room are we in?"

"208" he said, his voiced muffled from inside the car. "I checked and Russ and your dad are already in for the night" he voiced as he emerged with his son in his arms.

She merely nodded and made her way to the side door with the key in hand.

*~BONES~*

As Booth settled Parker in his bed and started taking off his shoes, Bones' phone rang. "Brennan" she answered with a yawn from her spot on the other bed.

"Tempe, it's me. Did you guys get in ok?"

"Yeah, Russ, we got in ok. Booth's putting Parker to bed now. The girls asleep?"

"Yeah, so is Amy. I just wanted to make sure that you all got in, and let you know that we're meeting with Dad in the lobby at 8:30 for breakfast. You are invited to join us, of course."

"Thanks Russ. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight" she replied smiling as she closed the phone.

By the time she finished her conversation with her brother Booth had finished putting Parker to bed and had already gotten ready for bed himself. "What did Russ want?" he asked as he settled under the sheet beside her.

"Just to make sure that we're here and invite us down to breakfast tomorrow" she relayed as she moved to her overnight bag. "He said they're all meeting down in the lobby at 8:30" she continued from behind the partially closed bathroom door. "The park doesn't open until 10, so that gives us plenty of time to eat, get there, and get tickets before it's too busy. We should probably all try to fit in one vehicle," she mumbled around her toothbrush, "but there are eight of us, aren't there? I guess we'll have to take two, I don't think Russ's van is big enough. You don't mind my dad riding with us do you?"

"Of course not, Bones. You know I like your dad" Booth returned.

"_Respect_," she corrected walking to the bed. "I know you _respect_ my dad for what he did for Russ and me, and I understand that, sort of. But you've never said that you _like_ my dad. … I don't even know if _I_ like my dad" she confessed.

Wrapping his arms around her, Booth tried to reason with her. "Max is a good guy, Bones."

"He's a _criminal_, Booth!"

"Shh, keep your voice down, Parker's still sleeping" Booth admonished.

"Sorry" she whispered back sheepishly. "I still don't really understand how you can say that my dad is a '_good guy'_, Booth. He was a bank robber and murderer. He killed at least two people and burnt their bodies. How does that translate into a 'good guy'?"

"It's not all black and white, Bones. There are shades of grey, and Max Keenan lives in those shades of grey. Yes, he did some bad things," Booth conceded, "but he also did what he had to do to protect his family. And those people he killed, Bones, those people were by no means innocent."

"That's why I prefer science" she said quietly. "In science, there are no shades of grey. There is right and wrong, positive and negative, truth and falsehoods. Things are much easier when they are black and white."

"I know, Bones, I know. Now get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and it starts about 7:00."

"We won't need an hour and a half to get ready Booth. Especially since that doesn't count breakfast."

"You've never had to get Parker ready for the day" he reminded her as he set the alarm.

*~BONES~*

"Alright Bones, time to get up" Booth announced in a sing song voice when the alarm went off the next morning.

"I'm awake" she replied groggily. "I'm gonna jump in the shower, why don't you get Parker up?" she suggested as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Parker buddy, it's time to get up!" Booth called as he shook his sleeping son.

"But dad, I don't wanna" the younger Booth complained not even bothering to open his eyes.

"I thought you wanted to go to Kings Island, but maybe I was wrong" Booth taunted.

The young boy's eyes flew open. "No, I'm up. I'm going!"

"Well, when Bones gets out of the bathroom you need to get ready so that we can go eat breakfast with her family. Why don't we get dressed while we wait for her?" the older Booth suggested.

By the time that the two Booths had managed to get dressed, Bones was done showering and dressing and had just stepped out of the bathroom attaching the back to one of her earrings. She was dressed simply – a pair of kaki Capri's, double tank tops (one white, one a pale blue), her hair in a pony tail and just a hint of make-up. Booth still thought she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. He didn't know why, but the sight of her always made his breath catch for just a moment, even when they were at a crime scene.

Looking up at the room, Brennan's heart stopped momentarily. Booth always looked good whether he was in a suit and goofy tie or dressed as he was now in a pair of olive shorts and a white t-shirt. When her heart once again regained its normal rhythm, she felt a tug at it taking in the sight of her partner with his little boy, who like him was wearing shorts and a t-shirt (which proudly proclaimed FBI across his chest).

The mood in the room was instantly lightened as Parker noticed her entrance. "Hi Dr. Bones! You look pretty" he proclaimed.

"Thank you Parker, you look pretty good yourself" she replied sending a smile his way. "Bathroom's free; why don't you and your dad brush your teeth?" she continued as she made her way to where her laptop set.

"Bones, what are you –" Booth started but was cut off.

"I know we are kind of on a vacation, or whatever, but that doesn't mean I can't check my email while you two finish getting ready" she reasoned easily.

Realizing that that was probably the best he would get out of her even if he were to argue the point, he gave a resigned sigh and followed his son into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

*~BONES~*

Russ was standing in the lobby looking for his sister when a seldom heard but familiar laugh caught his attention. Swinging around to the source of the laughter, he couldn't help but note just how happy and relaxed Tempe looked with Booth and his son. Walking into the lobby, one would never know that they weren't really a family. Tempe was walking between her partner and his son, Booth's hand, as always, at the small of her back and one of hers held tightly by the curly headed boy, listening intensely to whatever it was that the boy was saying, trusting her partner to guide them through the room. He was glad to see that she had seemingly finally found the family and happiness that his little sister deserved. Noticing Booth's eyes scanning the congested room, he called out to him, waving a hand in the air. "Booth, Tempe over here."

Glancing up briefly from the chatting boy to spot her brother, Brennan spared a wave and a bright smile before returning her attention back to the immediate conversation. Booth, ever the observant one, had actually spotted Russ before the greeting, and was already steering the small family towards him. As they reached the waiting man, Booth was the first to extend a greeting. Shaking the other man's hand he said "It's good to see you again, Russ. Thanks for inviting us."

"It's no problem, besides I learned a while back that you and my sister come as a package deal," he joked. "So how are you doing? Are you back to work yet?"

"Yeah, I was just reinstated Monday, which is a good thing. I was going stir crazy not being able to do anything" the FBI agent confessed with a bright smile.

By this time, Parker had finished telling Bones his story and she took advantage of the break in chatter to greet her brother properly. "Russ, it feels like it's been forever!" she exclaimed as she gave him a big hug. "How are Amy and the girls? _Where_ are Amy and the girls?" she added looking around.

"They're waiting at our table with Dad, and why don't you ask them yourself?" he responded laughing. "And who is this?" he asked turning his attention to the little boy with big brown eyes and curly blond hair half hiding behind his sister.

"This," she answered bringing him around to stand in front of her, "is Parker, Booth's son. Parker, this is my brother Russ" she introduced.

"Hi" Parker answered shyly.

"Hi" Russ answered holding out his hand "it's nice to meet you. Are you hungry? My wife and daughters are saving a table for us."

At the mention of food and the possibility of other people his age, Parker brightened considerably. A smile, reminiscent of his father's lit his face. Grabbing hold of one of Booth's and one of Brennan's hands he eagerly asked "Where are we going?" causing all three adults to laugh before Russ turned to lead the way towards the dining room and the rest of the family.

*~BONES~*

"Daddy! Aunt Tempe!" a clear voice rang out across the room as the small group entered the dining area. The child was out of her chair and sprinting towards them before anyone at the table could stop her.

"Hi Haley, I missed you too" Brennan answered on a laugh as she bent to hug the girl. "Why don't we go back to the table and I'll introduce everyone OK?"

Haley nodded happily and grabbing her dad's hand, quickly led the way back over to their table. Once there, Brennan took a minute to figure out the best way to make introductions. Booth and Russ shared a look and had to bite back a laugh when they saw the puzzle-solving look on her face. Within seconds she had made a decision and started the introductions. "This is Booth, my par – boyfriend," she amended waving a hand towards the man in question, "and his son Parker. Parker, Booth you already know my dad. This is Amy, Russ's wife, and their daughters Haley and Emma" she concluded with a decisive nod. Once the introductions were made, she walked around the table to hug the rest of her family before taking a seat between Booth and her brother.

Breakfast passed with quiet conversation about Booth and Haley's health, catching up on each other's lives, and plans for the coming day. "So, are we just doing the main park, or are we going to the water park too?" Booth asked while the kids were preoccupied in a conversation of their own.

"There's a water park? But I didn't pack a swimsuit" Brennan interjected.

"How could you not bring a swimsuit Bones? That's like an essential no brainer, even if you don't plan on going to a beach or whatever, most hotels have pools" he responded seriously.

She was taken aback for a moment before she registered the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. When she did notice it she responded with an equally serious sounding, "Well we can't all be as smart as you, now can we? Especially those of us who rarely take a 'real vacation'" she added remembering a time years ago when he had been planning a vacation with Tessa and had criticized her idea of a vacation. By the time she got to the end of her spiel she was having a hard time controlling the twitching at the corner of her lips. Finally they both broke down and shared teasing smiles.

"Anyways … we figured that if we are only going to have one day, we probably won't make it to both" Amy answered the original question a little uncertainly. "The girls and I thought we'd just wear our suits under our clothes and we'd see how the day went."

"That sounds like a great plan. Bones, we need to go back up to the room and change before we leave."

"But I told you I didn't bring a swimsuit" she countered.

"I figured you wouldn't think about it, so I packed one for you" he informed her with a smug grin. She simply glared for a moment before grudgingly giving him a kiss on the cheek and a 'thank you'.

Meanwhile, Max and Russ looked on with happy smiles on their faces. They were glad that Tempe had finally found happiness. She deserved it. Besides Booth seemed to be a great match for her – not that that was a surprise for either man. They had both noticed how well the two worked together in the past and had felt better leaving her behind knowing that she had a man like Booth watching over her. They were just glad that the two of them had finally gotten their act together and given a real relationship between them a chance.

Turning his attention from the new couple, Max took in his grandchildren. Granted, none of the three were technically his children's, but they were close enough. He had given up really having any kind of relationship with his kids years ago when he and his beloved Christine had left them behind. And he had never in his wildest dreams thought that he would actually get to spend time with his _grandchildren_. Just the thought of being able to see these beautiful youngsters grow into the amazing man and women they were bound to be brought a smile to his face. Maybe one day he would have a grandchild that actually sprang from Russ or Tempe, but until then, he was glad that they had both managed to find such wonderful families for themselves. Bringing himself back to the present, he smiled again at how well the three of them were getting along. Maybe he would be able to have the big, happy, united family after all, he mused.

His musings were interrupted as the other adults at the table began to get up. "We'll meet you out front in … ten minutes. That should give us all enough time to change right?" Bones asked looking to Booth.

"Yeah, ten minutes should be fine" he reassured her. "Hey Bub, we gotta go back up to the room for a couple of minutes. Let's go."

Once they had gotten back to their room, Booth sent Parker to the bathroom with his swimming trunks to change while he dug out his own and Bones' swimwear. Taking in the sight of one of her own suits hanging from her boyfriend's fingers Brennan was stunned momentarily. "Booth, that's one of my suits."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious Bones" he countered lightly.

"But, I haven't been back to my apartment, except to pack for this trip, in close to a week. And I know that you haven't been there without me because you don't have a key" she pointed out with an adorably confused face.

"I could have just picked the lock," he reminded her "or gotten the super to let me in. He knows I'm there a lot, probably thought we've been dating for months. And if that didn't work, I could always just use my badge."

"But you didn't do any of those things" she protested.

He let her wait in suspense for a moment before answering with his infamous charm smile. "You're right I didn't, but I _could_ have."

"Then how in the world did you get my suit?" she asked exasperated.

"I asked Angela to pick one up for me, just in case you didn't think to pack one." Just then the bathroom door opened and Brennan grabbed her suit and ran for the other room glaring daggers at her partner the whole time to keep her own smile at bay.

*~BONES~*

Ten minutes later, all eight of them met in the parking lot trying to figure out car arrangements. Since the kids wanted to finish planning their day, it was agreed that Russ and Amy would take the three in their van, and Booth, Brennan, and Max would follow in Booth's SUV.

Conversation in the second vehicle started out on an awkward note when the first thing out of Max's mouth was, "It's about time the two of you got your act together. When can I expect more grandkids?"

Booth, flabbergasted, almost missed the turn off for the highway while trying to come up with a response. It wasn't the first time Max had thrown a comment at him from left field, but 'grandkids' weren't exactly the kind of thing you expected to hear from a man like Max.

Brennan on the other hand, just shook her head at her father's comment before responding. "We have only been dating for two weeks Dad, it will be a while before we even think about kids."

Booth met her eyes in the rearview mirror with a smile. She hadn't blown the idea out of the sky, simply deferred it for a later, more appropriate time. His day was looking up already.

The rest of the short trip was made in a mostly comfortable silence while the three soaked up the peace before the amusement park frenzy. "At least," Max thought to himself, "it's not raining this time."

*~BONES~*

The line for tickets was expectedly long, but the time was passed in pleasant conversation by the adults and an impromptu game of tag by the children.

Shortly before the group reached the ticket window, Amy dug into her backpack and passed out a walkie talkie to Booth and another to Max. "Trust me, you will appreciate these in about an hour. Cell service is notoriously spotty in some parts of the park, and with three kids, we'll all want to know where everyone else is" she explained.

"Thanks. So what exactly are the plans once we get in?" Booth asked pocketing the walkie.

"Well, I figure we can head straight to the back of the park and work our way towards the gate. That way we don't have to walk all the way back at the end of the day" Russ suggested.

"That's a good idea Russ. And it should bring us back to the Eiffel Tower and the International Fountain for the fireworks show" chimed in Brennan. At the look she received from Booth she just shrugged. "I grew up in Ohio, Booth. I have been here a time or two, although I imagine they have changed the park quite a bit since I was last here. Oh, and we are having lunch at La Rosa's if it's still here."

"Whatever you say Bones" was the cheeky response.

The next order of business was to corral the children and go over the ground rules. Leaving Russ and Max to hold their place in line, Amy, Booth and Brennan pulled Haley, Emma, and Parker out of the way for a talk.

"Alright Bub, I want you to have fun, but you have to make sure you stay with Amy, Russ, Max, Bones or I all the time. If you are with them and not me, you have to do what they say, alright?" Booth asked crouching down to be at eye level with his son. After securing the boy's promise he smiled before adding, "And not too many sweets, alright? I promise you can take some home with you, you don't have to eat it all today."

Laughing lightly Amy turned to her girls and issued very similar instructions before reminding them that they were each allowed to pick one souvenir for the day, and so to pick carefully.

The group arrived back in line just in time to buy the tickets and enter the park with the Brennan men.

*~BONES~*

Upon actually entering the park, Booth was amused to find that the excitement on the children's faces' was rivaled by that on his partner's. She looked so happy and carefree, just like she had in the picture of a teenaged version of herself in her parents' file. Her excitement only rose as they walked down International Street and she noticed La Rosa's Pizzeria as well as Graeter's Ice Cream. Tugging on his arm, much like Parker would, she pointed out the ice cream shop with huge smile announcing that she was _definitely_ going there before heading home.

Enjoying this new side of his girlfriend's personality, he sent Parker ahead with the others and slowed his pace a bit to prolong the experience.

Noticing the growing distance between them and the rest of her family, Brennan tried to up their pace, but Booth simply took her hand and with a charming smile told her to, "Relax, Bones. We'll catch up. Just enjoy this."

And, as predicted, they caught up five minutes later when Amy stopped the group for a family picture before anyone really had a chance to mess up their appearance too much with roller coasters and water rides. After finding a security officer that was willing to take the picture, Amy quickly arranged everyone and the picture was taken.

That 'official' business out of the way, the group finished making their way to the farthest ride the park had to offer, the world's longest wooden roller coaster, The Beast. The early start to the day meant the shortest lines for the record breaking coaster and 20 minutes after reaching the line, all eight people were fastened into their seats. Brennan felt a familiar mix of nerves and excitement as the ride started, one she remembered from the last time she had ridden this ride. She closed her eyes and tried to remember every twist, turn, and drop hidden from view by the trees. At one point, years ago, she practically had the course of the track memorized – the product of spending an entire day simply riding this ride over and over again with her best friend. Russ had called her crazy for ignoring all the other amusements the park had to offer, but there was just something about the unknown on this ride. As the car clinked up the first hill, she held tight to Booth's arm and held her breath; this was going to be the best four minutes all day, she just knew it.

The ride was an overall success with the family. Well for everyone but Emma, who exited the ride with a hand to her face shielding her nose. "Stupid wooden roller coaster," she mumbled under her breath.

"Emma, what happened?" Bones asked genuinely concerned.

"I dropped my sunglasses and when I bent down to grab them, there was a bump in the track and the lap bar tried to break my nose!"

The adults offered the proper amount of fuss over the incident while trying to hide their smirks of amusement. Parker and Haley, on the other hand, let loose with peals of laughter all the way to the line for the next ride, The Crypt. Upon entering the building and seeing that the ride was almost entirely in the dark, Haley declared that she couldn't ride it and Max readily agreed to sit this ride out in favor of waiting with his youngest granddaughter. Max and Haley used the time to scout out nearby rides and decide which would be next. Half an hour later, they met up with the group getting off of the ride and led them over to the relatively short line for the first water ride of the day.

"See Bones, aren't you glad I thought to bring your suit? Every good amusement park has at least one water ride" Booth teased lightly.

Instead of answering him, Brennan took Parker and Haley's offered hands and ran the short distance to the next available boat. "Sorry Booth," she called, not sounding the least bit genuine, once she and all three children were settled, "it looks like you'll have to ride in a different one." Russ, Amy and Max just laughed at his disbelieving face as he fastened himself into his seat in their boat.

At just past noon, the adults agreed to ride one last roller coaster in an effort to dry out before stopping for lunch. The candidate chosen for this purpose was the Diamondback, the newest and fastest coaster in the park. Upon hearing her parents' plan to dry off on the ride Emma started laughing and called Haley and Parker over before whispering something to the two, which set them off in a fit of giggles as well. All of the adults noticed, but none put any thought to it other than to be glad that they were getting along so well. Once they crested the last hill in the ride, however, all five wished they had asked to be let in on the joke. They were speeding towards a pool of water and would get soaked once again!

*~BONES~*

Suitably dry after a quick lunch of deliciously cold smoothies from Paradise Island and hot pizza at LaRosa's, pepperoni for the adults and cheese for the kids, the family took the short two minute walk to the Backlot Stunt coaster. After starting relatively lightly to allow their food to settle, the group proceeded to the Shake, Rattle and Roll.

"I'm not sure going on a ride that's primary function is spinning so soon after eating was the best idea you two have ever had" commented Max as they made their unsteady way to a shaded bench to sit a moment.

"Oh, come on Dad, you're just getting old. It wasn't that bad" Russ argued.

Max countered with a rueful "Then why do you look so green?"

When it was obvious Russ had no defense, he turned on his sister. "Tempe's the one who wanted to go on it in the first place. I've never really liked those kinds of rides."

"You were the one who insisted we ride the spinning tea cups when we went to Disney, Russ. And no one forced you to go on this, so I don't see how your weak stomach is my fault" was the childish taunt from the woman in question. Booth and Amy wisely decided to stay out of the impending argument and instead focused on making sure the kids weren't about to lose their lunch.

Once everyone was sufficiently recovered, they continued down the path towards their next target, the Vortex. One look had Russ shaking his head slowly. "There is no way I'm going on that thing. I just got my stomach unknotted" he practically whined.

"Come on dad, it's not that bad. It looks really fun," tempted Emma.

"Yeah, daddy, I'm going," chimed in his youngest.

"Alright girls, leave your dad alone, he'll ride the next one with us," Amy cut in knowing that Russ wouldn't be able to stand too much pleading or sad eyes.

As they neared the front of the line, Brennan noticed nearly identical dubious looks on her partner and his son's faces. She slowly removed her camera from her bag and snuck a picture of the two before addressing their apprehension. "It's ok if you two don't want to go on this. I promise I won't tease you too much if you would rather stay here with Russ." At the suspicious look from her partn – _no boyfriend_, she rolled her eyes and turned to his son, "I cross my heart Parker that I won't think any less of you if you don't want to ride this."

Studying her face a moment, the boy then turned to his father with a smile. "You can stay, dad, I'm gonna ride next to Dr. Bones! If she's not scared, I can be brave."

"I know you can Bub," Booth affectionately ruffled the blonde curls. "But, if you can be brave enough to tackle this monster, I think I can too. What do you think Bones? Do you think I can be as brave as you and Parker?"

"I don't know," she played along, "I think Parker may be braver than you, but you never know until you try."

Max just looked on with a soft smile. This was the closest Tempe had been to the little girl he remembered before he and Christine had had to leave. It gave him hope that not all was lost and that she could happily have a family again. He was shaken out of his head when Haley pulled on his hand announcing that it was their turn.

Six inversions and three minutes later, Booth was starting to question his son's sanity and his own decision making skills. He wasn't one to balk at fast speeds or steep drops, but he preferred to keep his feet below his head, thank you very much. Parker and Bones on the other hand had face splitting smiles and horse throats.

The next ride on the list, Firehawk, had a height requirement that was too high for all three kids, a fact for which Booth was secretly happy about. Taking in the sad faces on all three youngsters, and the fact that the others would be in line for at least 45 minutes plus the three minute ride, an idea started to form. "Russ, Amy, do you mind if I take the girls over to the carnival rides? I promise to keep them away from the ice cream," he added with a smirk.

"Sure, why don't I go with you? I'm not a huge fan of roller coasters anyway. That's more Amy's thing."

"It seems to be Bones' thing too. Maybe it's just a woman thing?" Booth suggested.

"Or even just a crazy person thing?" countered Russ.

Amy and Temperance looked at each other and rolled their eyes each thinking the same thing, "Men!" Contemplating his choices and taking another look at the track towering over them, Max decided that he should probably go with the kids and their fathers. After all, if he wanted to experience flying, there had to be safer ways, like hang-gliding or base jumping.

Bidding the two women goodbye, the other six members of the family walked the short distance to the carnival rides on the Cooney Mall. Once there, the men handed off one of the walkie talkies to Emma and instructed the kids to stay together before letting them wander the area on their 'own' while keeping them in sight. After a few minutes of slightly awkward small talk between Booth and the two men that he had previously arrested, the conversation finally settled on the two topics all three had in common: the kids and Temperance Brennan.

"Daddy, meet us at the bumper cars!" came over the walkie startling the men out of a comfortable silence. Quickly sending an affirmative reply, the three made their way towards the youngsters and into a competitive round, or four, of bumper cars. As they were getting ready for round five, a familiar laugh caught Booth's attention. Swiveling around, he spotted her and Amy, both laughing so hard they had to lean on each other for support, making their way through the crowd towards him.

"Wonder what's so funny," he commented, mainly to himself.

Hearing him, Russ followed his gaze to see his wife and sister and smiled. He was happily surprised to see them getting along so well, not that they didn't get along from the beginning, but Tempe was a tough one to get close to. Watching them now, you would never have guessed they hadn't been best friends since childhood.

Max had also noticed the diverted attention of the younger men and took a moment to enjoy the fact that both of his children seemed to be happy and had found themselves such amazing families. Starting to feel himself get emotional about his family regaining the closeness he had feared would be lost forever, he turned his attention quickly back to Parker and the girls and challenged them to one last round of bumper cars before they had to move on.

*~BONES~*

Brennan was barely able to make out the "I hope this is worth it" her boyfriend muttered as they were seated in the car of the Red Racer a half hour after they had first gotten into line. "Of course it will be," she chastised. As the train started to move, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was exhilarating to feel the wind whip by and even the feeling of her stomach in her chest as they crested the first hill. She wondered for a minute how she could have possibly forgotten how much fun it was to just let go and … have fun. The longer she spent here with her family enjoying the freeness of not having to worry about work or her reputation or other's opinions of her actions, the more she felt herself relax. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so … happy.

Before she knew it, the ride was over and Booth was getting out of his seat. Jumping up to follow him, she grabbed his arm and led him back to the line, this time for the Blue Racer. "Bones, we just did this one," he teased with a smirk on his face.

"No Booth, we just rode the _Red_ racer. Now we're going to ride the _Blue_ racer, and if we're lucky, it'll go backwards."

"What do you mean go backwards?"

"They sometimes run the trains in reverse so that you can't see what is coming next. That's the best way to ride. I remember once the finale of the fireworks show started just as we got half way up the first hill. We had the most spectacular view!" enthused the usually reserved scientist. Booth wasn't sure how he felt about riding a roller coaster in reverse, but there was no way he could say no and take away from the look of innocent bliss on her face. And her squeal of childlike glee when the car did in fact start moving in reverse put a smile on his face that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she was right, this ride was definitely better in reverse.

Next on the agenda for the day was the Adventure Express. Upon finding out that the theme for the ride was Indiana Jones, Booth and Parker started quoting lines from the various 'Indie' movies. Before long, Russ had joined into the conversation and they started debating which of the four movies was the best.

The longest line they had encountered all day was over an hour long, but Brennan, Amy and the kids were determined that Drop Tower was worth every second of the wait. While they waited, Amy took the opportunity to make the family pose for several photos. The first time that they saw what the ride actually involved, the women's faces lit with expectant smiles while the men's faces paled a shade or two. Walking over to read exactly what he was in for, Booth once again had to question his girlfriend's sanity. She was seriously excited about a 26 story _free fall_? It was moments like this that he realized, as much as he knew about her and understood her, she would never fail to surprise him. No, life with this woman would definitely not be boring. … The last thought he had before the world dropped out beneath him was that the view from 315 feet up was breath taking. Seconds later he was reminded what breath taking really was.

By 5:30 they were standing in line to ride Flight Deck, formerly Top Gun, which once again set the men, Max included this time, into quoting and debating various aspects of the movie that inspired the ride they were about to embark on. The girls, after realizing that the conversation wasn't likely to involve them anytime soon, took the time to catch their Aunt Tempe up on all the goings on in their lives as well as plans for a visit to DC soon for a 'girls night'.

After they got off of Flight Deck, the debate began. It was close to six and everyone was getting hungry, but there were really only two more rides they wanted to go on for the day and they would have to pass them to get to the food anyways. Eventually Brennan's logical argument won out over the protests of some of the others. They would ride the last two rides while the lines were thinned for dinner time and eat afterwards. By the time the debate was settled, they had reached the line for Congo Falls and a new one began. The adults were reluctant to get wet again so close to dinner and the kids were determined that if they were going to get wet, _everyone_ should. Emma, having once again noticed something the adults seemed to overlook, came up with a plan to get them wet whether or not they actually got on the ride. She slowly moved the group towards the bottom of the waterfall and when the next car passed by, all eight were soaked by the resulting spray. Figuring that they were already wet, the adults decided they may as well enjoy the ride. Booth, having noticed Emma's actions silently applauded her and idly hoped that she would use her intelligence and powers of observation for good, and not follow the majority of Bones' family into a life of crime.

They made their way through the line for the final 'new' ride of the night ringing the water from their clothing and hair. Since the kids weren't tall enough to ride this one either, Max offered to take them on Congo Falls again and let the two couples enjoy Invertigo.

*~BONES~*

Dinner was a nice chance for all to sit and relax in the air conditioning of Stunt Crew Grill. They were seated at their table and had ordered by a quarter to seven. Three beers, two salads, four burgers, two BBQ pork and one chicken sandwich later, the group exited the restaurant and headed back towards International Street and the shops to pick out souvenirs and pass the time until the firework show.

Once back up towards the front gate, Amy once again felt the need to document the first real family trip and spent several minutes arranging various groupings of family in front of the fountain and King's Island sign. Eventually Russ managed to distract her enough for Booth and Brennan to make their escape to the Eiffel Tower.

The view from the top of the tower was amazing. There was a clear view of the surrounding park and forested area through the deepening twilight. Booth and Brennan found a spot overlooking International Street and the fountain and simply watched, her back to his chest, as the people below ambled around and the sun sank behind the horizon and the colorful lights of the fountain sprang to life. Just as the last rays of the sun disappeared from view, Booth turned Bones around and kissed her. As they broke apart for much needed air, she chastised herself silently for thinking that the best four minutes of the day would be that first ride on The Beast. _This_ was so much better than any roller coaster.

When they finally made their way down to the ground, Booth called the others on the walkie talkie to meet up with them to watch the fireworks. Before they got very far though, Brennan was pulling him into a store front. He stood amused and watched as she analyzed the choices of treats before her much like she did remains in her lab. Finally nodding once to herself, she bought an assortment of the mouthwatering fudge.

"You gonna share any of that or do I need to buy my own?"

"Of course I will share," she countered in her ever logical tone of voice. Seeing the hopeful look in his eye, she barely managed to keep a straight face as she continued with, "Angela, Hodgins, Sweets, and Cam should enjoy this much better than some overpriced knickknack."

Booth was shocked for a moment before he noticed the teasing glint in her eye and the minute way the corner of her lips kept creeping up, just slightly. "You're just evil, you know that Bones?"

As the couple exited the store, Brennan sprinted across the street into yet another store front. Before Booth even had time to register that it was an ice cream shop, Brennan was asking what flavor she should get for Parker. She would never cease to amaze him. As much as she protested to the contrary, she was a natural with children, his son in particular, and he could close his eyes and picture the way she would be with their kids. Shaking himself from his fantasy, he answered and helped her carry the eight servings of ice cream to the spot her family had found to sit and enjoy the show.

The treats were distributed not a minute too late, as the sky exploded into noise and light just as Brennan settled herself between her brother and partner. All watched in awe, their melting treats momentarily forgotten, as the brilliant reds and blues, greens and whites reflected off their upturned faces.

Once the show was over and the now half melted ice cream was eaten, the tired group wearily made their way back to the cars and the hotel for the night. Once there, Booth once again carried a sleeping Parker to the room and settled him in bed while Brennan changed into her pjs in the bathroom. When she returned, Booth was curled up in the middle of the bed half asleep. With a not so gentle shove and mumbled "move over" she crawled beneath the covers and was practically unconscious by the time her head hit the pillow. She didn't, however, miss the half garbled "love ya, Bones" uttered by Booth as he pulled her against his body and rested his head against hers, and was too far gone to notice she didn't feel the customary fear at hearing those words directed at her.

*~BONES~*

* * *

Author's Notes: I would first like to apologize for it taking this long to get this written and posted and thank those of you who have been looking forward to this for reading it. I would also like to thank everyone who gave me Emma's name.

I want to specifically thank kaylee-jane-potter for giving me ideas about Kings Island for the story specifically (the Eiffel tower kiss, LaRosa's, and Graeter's ice cream).

Next, I know Russ and Amy probably aren't really married, but I figured they live together and probably consider themselves practically married.

Oh, and the part about Emma busting her nose on The Beast … it really did happen, to me, when I first rode the ride. It was still an awesome roller coaster though.


End file.
